Shoe-tree



Patented Dec. 30, 1924.

1,521,043 oPFICE. j

JOSEPH RIGANTE, OF MINEOLA, NEW YORK.

SHOE-TREE.

Application led March 5, 1924. Serial No. 696,941.

To all whom t may conce/M1.:

Be it known that I, Josnrn: RreAN'rn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mineola, in the county of Nassau and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe-Trees, of which the following is a specification.

The main object of this inventio-n is to provide a shoe tree used in the stretching of shoes or shaping of the same, the principal purpose being to provide a tree which may have its length extended so as to t various sizes of shoes. The art, as at present known, requires that shoe trees be of the same size as the shoe being stret-ched. Thus in establishments it is required that a variety of sizes 0f shoe trees be carried, whereas with this device, one shoe tree for any or all sizes is sufficient.

Another object is to provide a shoe tree having an extensible toe member, this toe member being extended when the shoe tree is spread apart to t a larger and wider shoe interior.

These and other objects will become apparent in the description below, in which characters of reference refer to like-named parts in the drawing.

Referring briefly to the drawing, Figure 1 is a sectional elevational view taken centrally thru the entire shoe heel, and shows the mechanism by which the device may be operated.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the same.

Figure 3 is a topl plan view showing the toe extended and the hand wheel by which the toe is extended and the side spread, cut away.

Figure 4 is a schematic plan view, showing the mechanism used in extending and spreading the shoe tree.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numerals 10 and 11 represent the main bodies of the shoe tree. The substantially parallel and mutually adjacent faces are inclined divergently. Each of the body members has a surface 12 and a surface 13, these surfaces being inclined toward the center' of the shoe, providing a tapering channel 14 which is widest at a point intermediate the length of the bodies. The rear ends of these bodies have hinges 17 mounted thereon to which the heel member 16 of the shoe tree is hingedly attached. This heel member is provided with a lifting hook 18 on its surface by means of which said member may be tained.

lifted upwardly out of a shoe. In the body member 10, a longitudinal recess 19 is provided in which a'rack bar 2O is slidably re- The forward end of the rack bar has an offset arm 21 which extendstoward the opposite body member 11, and at a point its lower end, which engages and meshes with the pinion 28, is journaled in the body 10 .adjacent the rack bar and has a hand wheel 31 at'its upper end, this hand wheel being used to rotate the shaft 29.

In using thev device, the heel member 16 is lifted upwardly so that the body portions 10 and 11 may be readily inserted into a shoe. The device is inserted into a shoe when the toe shell 24 lies adjacent the forward end 32 of the body members, this position being shown in Figure l. When the shoe tree has been placed in the shoe and the heel rotated to its proper position, the hand wheel is rotated in the required direction. As the hand wheel is rotated, longitudinal movement is imparted to the rack bar'20 thru the medium of the gears 26, 28, and 30. The movement of the rack bar causes the ball to ride on the forward surfaces 12 of the bodies 10 and 11 and spreads the same apart,

thus stretching the width of the shoe. Simultaneously with this spreading, the toe shell 24 is extended so that the shoe sole at the toe end is prevented from buckling or bending as usually occurs. When the shoe has been sufficiently stretched, the hand wheel 31 is rotated in the opposite direction, causing the rack bar to move the ball 22 rearwardly until it arrives at the greatest width of the channel 14, when the shoe tree may be easily removed from the shoe.

1. A shoe tree comprising a pair of body members arranged mutually adjacent, the mutually adjacent surfaces having' a tapering channel therein, the channel being widest at a position intermediate its length, a rack bar, a toe shell, a rod integral with the rack bar and rigidly connected to the toe shell,

said rack bar when moved forward being adapted to extend the toe shell, a ball on Said rack bar normally located at the Widest portion of the channel, said rack bar when extended being adapted to spread the body members apart by engaging the tapering sides of the channel, a. shaft, a gear on said shaft engaging` the rack bar, a bevelled pinion adjacent said gear, an additional shaft ext-ending' angularly. the pinion gear at its lowerfend engaging the pinion'grear of thefirst-named shaft. and a hand Wheel at the .upperiend of said last-named shaft to rotate the latter.

2. A shoe tree comprising a pair of body members arranged mutually adjacent, the adjacent surfaces having forwardly tapering channels therein, a rack bar, one of said bodies having said rak bar slidably mounted therein` a toe shellv adapted to cover the tips of the body members, a rod connecting the toe Shell and rack bar7 a ball member integral with the-rack bar and engaged in the tapering channels, said rack bar When eX- tended being adaptedto simultaneously advance the toe shell and spread the body members apart, and means for moving` said rack bar.

In testimonyrvhereof Iafixmy signature.

lJOSEPH RIGANTE. 

